


when elements collide

by nemui (ribbonelle)



Category: Final Fantasy IX
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drabble Collection, Introspection, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 09:41:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6849289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ribbonelle/pseuds/nemui
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>great things happen. a drabble collection.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. earth+light+steel I

“For the last time, Steiner!” Dagger’s voice was uncharacteristically raised, now; she was more than displeased, “I don’t want to hear you going on and on about Alexandria again! We’ve agreed to go home, just let me help Marcus. Blank saved our lives. Surely we need to repay our debt.”

Steiner seemed to be pleading, almost, “Yes, Princess, I concur. But let _me_ —”

“Enough! I’m making my own choices now. Stop telling me what to do!”

The knight’s mouth snapped shut. His jaw worked with things to say, but he refrained himself. Dagger glared at him, before leaving for the tent they had set up, dismissive.

It was like a watching a dramatic play.

Marcus didn’t actively indulge in gossip or scandals, but it was difficult to look away from this particular train wreck. And the knight looked like he was about to weep. Marcus could sympathize.

“Hey,” Steiner jerked in surprise, frowning after, “You wanna drink?”

“Drink what exactly?”

“Mead. It’s good; Baku gave me some of his special brew, for luck.”

Steiner’s face clouded over, suddenly angry, “You! You are trying to get me intoxicated so I would be careless! Not a chance, scum, I will not allow harm to befall the princess.”

Of course. Marcus grunted, rolling his eyes, “Sure. Offer’s still open if you want it.”

“Certainly not!”

Marcus took a swig anyway, as Steiner fumed. But his anger soon turned into sorrow again, as he glanced at their tent. He could really pull off the expression of a kicked puppy, Marcus thought.

“She really is an adult, you know. She knows what she’s doing.”

Of course Steiner took offense to that, as he whirled around to face Marcus once more, “But it is my sworn duty to protect her! I will do anything and everything it takes to ensure her safety.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow, “Even if she’ll hate your guts for it?”

Steiner’s face fell, but he spoke with confidence, still, “Yes. I would prefer...not to be despised, but if it comes to that...”

“Look. You’re just causing her distress, the way you are now. If you truly care, you’ll give her some space. It’s great that you’re loyal to a fault and all, but you’re making her miserable. Stop acting like she needs supervision _all_ the time. For the both of you.”

Steiner was surprised. Then, he seemed to remember who he was talking to, “What would _you_ know about loyalty? You’re nothing but a mere criminal.”

It was fortunate that Marcus’ tongue was already feeling a little loose from the alcohol, or he wouldn’t have even entertained the idea of replying to Steiner’s rude statement, “Oh? Excuse me then, you’re right. I’m a criminal. I’ve worked with the same group of people for years and they’re literally my family, so of course I’d know nothing about loyalty. Being a criminal means I’m not human in the least. All I do is antagonize people. I have no emotion. I couldn’t possibly understand. I’m here right now on this trip to find a cure for my petrified best friend simply because there’s Gil in it for me later, not because he’s my _best friend_ and I care about him. Good point, Steiner.”

The knight said nothing. He kept silent for a while as Marcus downed a few more gulps of Baku’s brew. It was good. Burned his throat a little, but he needed the distraction. He didn’t look at the self-righteous Alexandrian.

He heard Steiner swallow audibly, anyway, “I...Hm. I understand.”

“Do you.” Marcus replied, tone flat, but he shrugged anyway, “Whatever. Not my problem. I can’t tell you what to do, either.”

Steiner made a slight noise, “Hrm. Thank you. For the advice. I will consider it.”

“Sure.”

He glanced at Steiner, who seemed sheepish now. Steiner floundered a little, before asking, “Do you have any of that special brew left?”

Marcus managed to suppress a smile of amusement, “Yeah.”


	2. earth+light+steel II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more of this. man these three are the best tbh.

Dagger didn’t consider herself an expert at reading body language; she was as good as anyone else. But Marcus’ emotions were extremely hard to read.

He had this little quirk when he was trying not to laugh, though. His lower teeth would press against his upper lip even more, as he stopped his mouth from stretching into a smile. He was doing it right now.

“Marcus?” Dagger queried, and he looked at her, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah,” he replied, before adding right away, amusement apparent in his tone, “It’s just...look at him.”

Dagger turned around slightly, and she had to smile, too. Steiner was conversing with a Moogle they had summoned, and he seemed to be increasingly frustrated. Steiner, being Steiner, was flailing his arms all over the place. He was stomping his feet and clenching his fists, voice raised and lowered alternately to make his point. The Moogle simply looked bored.

“Man of many gestures, huh?”

That made Dagger giggle, and she nodded after facing Marcus again, “I remember the first day he was promoted to be captain of the Knights of Pluto. He was saluting and shaking so many hands so many times, he looked like a clockwork toy. He had always been that way.”

Marcus allowed himself a grin, “Interesting specimen.”

“Captain of the Knights of Pluto. Best of the best.” Her smile turned a little wistful, her laughter dying down.

“He truly cares for you, you know?”

“I know. But he just...gets overbearing, sometimes.”

“He does. Don’t let that get to you. You’re doing great.”

“Thank you,” she sighed, weary and worn, “I try. He never listens, and it gets quite frustrating.”

Marcus nodded, “True. I talked to him about it. Hopefully he’ll take some advice from a stranger.”

“You did?” Garnet seemed quite surprised, “You didn’t have to—“

“He was being self-destructive. And repressing your progress. We’re temporary teammates, I don’t need trouble from unresolved issues.”

There was silence, but Garnet seemed to accept his reasoning, “Fair enough. How did it go? Your talk with him?”

Marcus made a sound, indifferent, “So and so. Hopefully he gets it now. Is he usually forgetful?”

“Sometimes,” the princess was grinning a little, it was a good expression on her, “During the most convenient of times. But he means well. He’s a really kind person, just a little righteous.”

“Mm, I can see that.”

Steiner returned to them in a huff, obviously displeased. He dropped himself on the ground to sit, armour clanking loudly, “That Moogle is preposterous.”

“Is he now?” Marcus asked, and Garnet had to clasp a hand over her mouth, shielding her laughter.

“Extremely! He had the gall to say he didn’t care about the politics of the states. I do not trust this Moogle to be our guide. We should find another one. And one without such a ridiculous name like _Mogski._ ”

“And Adelbert is not as ridiculous, I take it?” Garnet piped up, and Steiner shut up right away. His jaw dropped, and he looked comical in his surprise.

“P-princess. I…You think my name is ridiculous?”

She couldn’t help it. Garnet burst out laughing. Steiner looked even more shocked, mouth opening and closing like a fish, and Marcus ended up chuckling as well, shoulders shaking. Everything was ridiculous.

Steiner was a little miffed afterwards, refusing to talk to Marcus; convinced that he had influenced the Princess somehow, till Garnet explained that she was merely teasing him. He looked a little lost after her explanation, but it didn’t stop him from reprimanding her just a little, either, “How would it feel if you were teased, Princess? I have to say, it wasn’t very nice.”

And yet, he was in an extremely cheery mood for the rest of the day.


	3. earth+light+steel III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's spar indeed.

“So what’d you wanna do is this,” Marcus opened his fists and closed them again, his feet steady on the ground in a power stance, “An arm over the neck, and bring one of their hands with you. Pull the other arm behind their back, hard, and block one of their legs with a foot. They’re locked. It’d be difficult for them to get away. They could try, but then you just break the arm. Got it?”

Dagger was watching Marcus intently, taking mental notes. Marcus was grappling air, unfortunately, and while he had been trying his best to demonstrate one of his many techniques for subduing an enemy, it took a little too much effort to visualize. Dagger chewed at her lower lip a few times, before nodding, “Yes. But could you show me just one more time? Wait.”

She brought her hands up to cup them around her mouth, “Steiner! Come here for a second, please?”

The clanking of the knight’s armor was loud as he jogged closer to where Marcus and Dagger were, temporarily ditching what he had been occupied with before; checking their inventory.

“Yes, Princess? Are you in need of assistance?”

“Yes,” Dagger gestured to Marcus, “Marcus is showing me some defensive stances. Would you mind helping him demonstrate?”

“Not at all!” Steiner saluted, and turned to Marcus. His face seemed to light up, “Ah, you are teaching the princess self-defense? That’s wonderful! Do not teach her half-hearted moves, this better not be a waste of time.”

Marcus scoffed, but nodded anyway, “Sure. Now turn around and stand still. Don’t sock me in the gut, or something.”

Steiner obliged, frame tense from anticipation, but he didn’t move. Marcus contemplated asking him to at least take off some armor. He really didn’t want Steiner to retaliate and punch him with brass knuckles. But he took the chance.

“Like I said earlier, “ Marcus redid the manoeuvre, grabbing at Steiner’s arms. He kicked the knight’s leg to the side and held the limb there with his foot, displaying his stance to Dagger, “There. Three points of contact. If you have a knife, put it to the neck. Do you see, now?”  Steiner had yelped, but then went silent. Dagger nodded enthusiastically, taking note of their positions.

“I see. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“While we’re on this topic,” Steiner piped up suddenly, lifting his chin a little, “There is a counter, if you find yourself caught in a locking stance like this, Princess. May I show you?”

Dagger was pleasantly surprised, “Of course!”

“You will have to do everything fast, but I will first demonstrate slowly. Twist your hand on the neck to grab at your captor’s wrist,” he did what he said, and Marcus just let Steiner do whatever, “Be sure to heft all your weight into the leg that is being restrained when you’re ready. Remember: Squeeze wrist, grab arm, flip. Observe.”

Steiner pressed down on Marcus’ wrist, _hard_ , exerting painful pressure onto his wristbone. Marcus’ hand went slack, so did his grip on Steiner’s other arm. Steiner took the chance to grab at both Marcus’ hands firmly, heaved forward, and suddenly Marcus was in the air. He was flipped over Steiner’s head; he caught a glimpse of the sky, literally being hauled over Steiner’s shoulders by his arms; then he crashed to the ground on his back, the impact knocking the air out of him. Momentary disorientation. Dagger had gasped in shock.

“There! Now you have a few precious seconds to either run, or gain leverage over your enemy. You can finish them there and then, as well. Do you understand how it is done, Princess?” Steiner sounded too smug.

“Um, yes. Wrist, arm, flip. All my weight on the trapped foot. Got it. But...Are you okay, Marcus?”

Marcus grunted from the ground, not feeling like getting up for a while. Steiner really didn’t hold back on slamming him down, “’M fine. Hey, knight.”

Steiner stood to attention; he heard the clanking of metal, “Yes?”

“Let’s spar.”


	4. earth+light+steel IV

“I suppose he is decent,” Steiner said at last, though he spoke as if it was painful to admit, “Sir Marcus is not so bad. Unlike that wretched monkey, Zidane.”

“Oh hush, he wasn’t that bad either. He helped us a lot, didn’t he?”

Steiner scrunched his nose in distaste, “While that may be true, he was also extremely disrespectful with you, Princess. I do not know who he thinks he is fooling with that so-called ‘roguish charm’. He is uncivilised and disgusting. Appalling.”

Dagger smiled a little. Of course, she didn’t quite agree, but there was no stopping Steiner from disliking Zidane, “But Marcus isn’t like that, yes?”

“Not at all! He is still a fiend and a criminal, but he is fairly dignified. He has wisdom. I prefer his company to Zidane’s, without question.”

It was so amusing. Dagger was watching Steiner with great interest. Steiner eventually noticed her staring, and paused his sword polishing in confusion, “Princess? Is something the matter?”

“I have never heard you defend a thief like that before. This is new.”

“I am not defending Marcus, nor am I justifying his past actions. But he is alright, in my opinion. He’s not as bad as any other criminal I’ve met.”

Dagger’s tone had wonder in it, “You like him.”

Steiner seemed to ponder that, before nodding, “I suppose I do. Don’t you?”

The princess took a while to mull the question over, as well, and smiled, “I do. That’s a good thing. Right?”

“Perhaps. Though of course, the moment he does something unacceptable, I will be forced to kill him. Be assured that I will never trust a fiend again.”

“Oh, theatrics!” Dagger shook her head, waving a hand in dismissal, “We have survived so far with him, haven’t we?”

“We have.”

There was a rustling noise, and an outline of what seemed to be a hand pressed in from outside the tent, catching their attention, “Hey. Let me in.”

Dagger reached over to unzip the tent from inside, and Marcus’ head appeared through the now open entrance, “Alright, shift change. Steiner, you’re up.”

“Aye, aye.”

The Tantalus member paused for a moment, watching them, before tilting his head, “Were you two talking about me?”

Dagger grinned, not even a little apologetic, “Yep!”


	5. earth+steel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this happens after garnet is captured by zorn and thorn and steiner+marcus are stuck in that cage together. this Might turn out to be wrong, so i might edit it when i reach that part in the game! (im playing again). but so far, im impatient for the angst so, here.

In 5 words, Steiner ruined everything. Marcus should have seen it coming, he should have expected it.

“Perhaps this was a mistake."

He felt himself go stiff. They were stuck in a cage together; surely Steiner wasn’t going to do this here and now? Of all the times to mess whatever camaraderie they had built over the days, now would be the worst. Marcus didn’t say a word.

“We shouldn’t have gone with you to Treno. I believe that we are here right now, because of you. Clearly they have realized that you are a bandit. Having you with us was a mistake.”

Steiner’s voice was shaky with repressed anger, and he could have shouted the words, but instead, he spoke quietly. It was somehow worse. Marcus didn’t trust himself to say anything, he was getting progressively furious. He opened his mouth anyway.

“I shouldn’t be involved in this. All I want is to save my bro. Why the fuck am I even here?”

The knight hadn’t been looking at him, but his head snapped towards Marcus so fast at the profanity. Marcus wished Steiner’s head would just fall right off.

“I got a plan. You wanna get out of here? Stand up.”

It took Steiner a while, but he obliged. When the both of them got down to business, things weren’t so difficult to achieve. Marcus really should have known. They broke out of the cage with relative ease after working together. Marcus’ skin was crawling. He really needed to get away.

‘You’re on your own,’ he had wanted to say, perhaps just casually stated it before leaving Steiner for good, just so he could perhaps wound Steiner with words the way the good-for-nothing knight had just done to him. ‘Good fucking luck,” he had wanted to spit at the asshole.

He ended up just leaving instead, saying nothing, because when it came down to it, there was really nothing he had to say to Steiner.


	6. fire+steel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my favorites, my fave characters: vivi and steiner :) i feel that they're really kind to each other. i love them quite a lot.

Vivi kicked his feet a little, appearing sheepish, stealing glances at Steiner with slight tilts of his head towards the Knight of Pluto. Steiner had noticed this, simply thought that the young Mage was just uncomfortable around him considering they were still strangers, and decided that it was better for Vivi to adapt to him gradually.

He did not expect Vivi to pipe up so suddenly, blurting out his question like he had been keeping it inside of him for a while, "Steiner, d'you really hate Zidane?"

The knight paused, thinking over his answer. The answer was yes, of course, Steiner had no time for lowlifes; but Vivi was good and important and impressive, and unfortunately, he also liked Zidane. Steiner's mouth twisted slightly in displeasure, but he turned to Vivi with a fairly neutral expression, "Hate wouldn't be the word I'd use, Master Vivi. I strongly disagree with his way of life, and his choices, but I wouldn't say I hated him."

Though of course, of course Steiner hated him. The monkey thief had stolen the princess and got them all into this huge mess, and Steiner wanted to strangle him to death. Or at least bring him to trial, and watch him hang. But admitting to hating Zidane seemed childish, and he didn't want to be any form of seditious influence to the young Black Mage. Vivi was full of potential and was an important asset to their party, and Steiner respected him very much.

Vivi seemed to consider this, before nodding, "Yeah, that's fair. You're just doing your job, after all."

The relief Steiner felt from hearing that was jarring. Perhaps he had needed to hear that, and wasn't aware of it, "You are truly wise, Master Vivi—"

"I really like Zidane though," Vivi said quickly, before appearing embarrassed for his interruption, "He's a good guy. He talks about girls all the time, but he's really nice. You're great, too. It'd be nice if you guys could get along."

Steiner's mouth twisted slightly, but he supposed Vivi had a point. They were to work together for an indeterminable amount of time; he would want the members of his party to get along too. Vivi really was wise for his age.

He folded his arms, but nodded in understanding, "I understand your point, Master Vivi. I will not make any promises however, lest I break them."

"Good enough for me!"

His eyes slit in what seemed to be happiness, and he resumed kicking his feet, as they sat in wait. In a situation that seemed to have everything against Steiner, Vivi's presence was like a breath of fresh air. Steiner belatedly thanked the gods.


	7. fire+steel II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> vivi and steiner once again. the fact that steiner has sword magic as result of him and vivi collaborating in their attacks is truly...my favorite thing. i really love these two. they're very dear to me.
> 
> this one is a little emotional in a way, and i feel that the ending is a bit rushed but apologies! i still felt that it needed to be addressed somehow

Steiner had never seen him like this before.

Not in Trance, because Vivi had been in Trance before. But like this; seething and explosive at the same time, attacking Black Waltz No. 3 like he was losing his mind. Steiner could understand Vivi's anger; not entirely; it wasn't irrational. But this didn't seem healthy, this methodical, desperate way of casting magic. Steiner was focused on the battle, but he couldn't help noticing Vivi's state.

Vivi had stormed out to fight Black Waltz, and Steiner had fully supported him on it. Justice need to be served, and their enemy had done something truly abhorrent. Steiner was all for defeating this common enemy, and was proud of Vivi for sharing this sentiment.

But it seemed that the previous events had affected Vivi more than Steiner thought it had.

He shifted in his battle stance, his armor clanking, and Vivi turned to him with his arms outstretched. It was the silent signal they had established in their previous battles, a sign for Vivi to lend Steiner his magic. The surge of Blizzard that flowed through his sword was strong enough that Steiner was almost swayed, and he glanced at his partner in surprise.

Vivi's eyes were burning. "Do it, Steiner. _Do it_ , get him."

"I will," Steiner said, wanting to say more, but it wasn't the right time for that. He tightened his grip on his sword, and lunged.

/

Afterwards, when they were safe in Lindblum and had met the Regent, Steiner talked to Vivi. He should have done it earlier, truly, a real talk instead of just empty questions that Vivi might or might not understand the point of, but there were huge airships and insults and royal oglops that Steiner got carried away in it all.

But he was truly concerned with Vivi's wellbeing; he had come to truly appreciate Vivi. He didn't want anything bad to happen to the Black Mage. Steiner supposed everyone had their bad moments.

"How are you feeling, Master Vivi?" he asked in a gentle voice, as gentle as he could make it. Kindness had never been his forte, but he wanted to try. Vivi tilted his head in a curious way. It was like a reminder that despite everything, despite how mature Vivi seemed, he was just a child.

"I'm okay! This place is huge, I'm a little dizzy though," he said cheerily, his arms swinging by his sides, "What's up?"

Steiner considered not addressing what had happened earlier. But then he recalled too strong magic flowing through his sword, and the anger in Vivi's voice, "About our enemy the Black Waltz earlier, Master Vivi. Would you like to talk about his termination and what you feel of it?"

It was difficult to read Vivi's facial expression, but his body language was very telling. His arms stopped swinging. He laced his hands together instead, holding them in front of him . He didn't break eye contact with Steiner, though.

"Um. I don't...I guess it was kinda necessary. I've never really done this kind of thing before...but we're fighting for a good cause. He was going to take Dagger away. I didn't want that."

"I didn't want that, either," Steiner agreed, shaking his head, "If the princess is to go back to the castle, it wouldn't be that way. I am mostly asking out of concern of your wellbeing, Master Vivi. Are you feeling alright?"

Vivi paused, doing nothing but watch Steiner for a while longer. It didn't make Steiner feel uncomfortable. Somehow, somewhere along the way, he had come to feel protective of Vivi as well. The princess was priority, considering his obligations to the kingdom of Alexandria but...in truth, as long as he was able, he'd protect the both of them with everything he had; Princess Garnet and Master Vivi.

Perhaps Vivi realized that. The black mage exhaled, and seemed to deflate just a little, "I'm alright now, Steiner. I was pretty angry. He hurt people who looked like me, people who might have had answers about what was going on. They...Did you notice that they tried to fight Black Waltz? Maybe they were just protecting the cargo but-did you notice?"

It seemed like Vivi _needed_ Steiner to notice.

Steiner did not lie. "Yes. They were clearly defending something, dare I say us, from the Black Waltz. It was the cause of their demise. But they did it on their own volition, Master Vivi. I believe...we will find our answers soon enough. Both yours and mine. Do not hesitate to confide in me anytime you feel the need to. I am here for you."

The words seemed foreign in his voice, but he meant it, and he hoped Vivi knew that.

Vivi's eyes were glowing a little brighter, and his laced hands disentangled to reach for Steiner's, and he held their hands up enthusiastically. "Thank you! That really means a lot, Steiner, thank you!"

It was a little unusual, this brand of joy. It reminded Steiner of his princess, a decade ago, bright-eyed and young. It made him smile.

"You're very welcome. I thank you, too."


	8. earth+light+steel V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i've been playing ff9 again and ive been...going wild with Tetra Master; the card game. its fun. and frustrating as heck.
> 
> so here's marcus, steiner and garnet playing the card game while being great, i love this trio, have i mentioned this?

"Again," Steiner said, gripping the cards in his hand as if they were a lifeline, "Again, Marcus. I am not satisfied."

"And you'll never be," Marcus stifled a yawn, but patiently laid out his five cards anyway, from the same deck he had been using from the very start, "Seriously Steiner, a guy can only take so much Tetra Master."

Steiner pointed at him with a finger accusingly, his eyes narrowed, "You said you'd help me remember the rules! I haven't played this since I was but a little boy, and you brought it up again. Take some responsibility for what you've caused."

Dagger laughed, giggling into her hand, apparently very amused by all this. She was sitting next to Steiner, having spent the previous few hours helping Steiner with his game. She reached over to the coin they had set in front of them, and flipped it once. Marcus' turn.

He took out a Mandragora card, something strong as a start, grimacing a bit at the sight of the monster on the card. He hated Mandragoras, they were creepy, brutal things. Steiner was holding his cards too close to his face, any closer and they'd just be pressed against his skin. Dagger was craning her neck beside him, looking at his cards with interest. She pointed to one eventually, and leaned in to whisper in his ear, glancing once at Marcus to make sure Marcus wasn't listening.

It took a lot of their time, but it was also kind of really cute; Steiner listening intently with a serious expression as Dagger whispered strategies into his ear; Marcus just went along with it. Steiner eventually sat up straight and went 'Hm!' loudly, and smacked a card in front of them, next to the Mandragora.

A Wyerd. With four arrows, and one that pointed towards an empty side of the Mandragora. His Mandragora was now Steiner's.

"Nice. Where'd you get a Wyerd?"

Steiner seemed smug, "Master Vivi gifted it to me when we were in the Ice Cavern," his smile turned fond, "He said he had too many Wyerd cards already. I was too preoccupied with our situation at the time that I even forgot to challenge him to a game."

He clearly missed the Black Mage. That was fascinating to Marcus. "Challenge him when you guys meet again. You'll definitely meet again, there's no question 'bout that."

Steiner and Dagger seemed to exchange glances, before Steiner laughed a booming laugh, filling the silence, "Well! I sure hope so."

"You gotta get better at Tetra Master, then," Marcus casually reached over to place another card of his; a special one, an Ash with arrows on every side, "So you'll actually have a chance at winning."

Steiner's eyes basically popped out of their sockets. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS _THAT_ CARD?"

Dagger ended up laughing so hard she fell over and almost burned her hair on their campfire.


End file.
